Summer’s flying by! It’s already August! The traditional calendar school year starts in a matter of days and trips to the beach are either a memory or numbered.  So what are you going to do with all that extra time this fall?  Start your exercise routine, right?

It’s not uncommon.  Attendance at fitness centers wanes during the summer months as people take vacations or substitute indoor exercise routines with outdoor activities.  In September, however, everything changes.  Labor Day symbolizes the end of summer and getting back to the old routine.  Besides January, this is probably the most common time people utter these six words: “I’m going back to the gym.”

This year, Cary and Raleigh offer a couple of interesting fitness alternatives, primarily for women who want to take back control of their bodies.

Butterfly Life (www.butterflylife.com) is a new kind of fitness center boasting five centers in Raleigh and Cary, as well as several more outlets across North Carolina and the country.  Its philosophy takes a 360-degree approach to weight loss and health management by integrating the traditional components of weight loss, nutrition, weight training and exercise with psychology, beauty and fashion.  The company believes this combination creates “a unique women's health club that inspires women to become exactly who they want to be.”

In addition to 30 minute circuit training, each Butterfly Life offers its members group exercise (Group X) classes. Movement and cardio classes include step, low impact and dance. Toning classes include lower and upper body sculpting. Relaxation and meditation classes include yoga, Pilates and stretch. Butterfly’s Weight Loss Express™ classes take place in a group setting, so members can share their support and encouragement with one another.

To complement Butterfly Life and to avoid liposuction, others may wish to try the Vacu Step, a special piece of elliptical training equipment that targets trouble spots – hips, thighs, buttocks and belly -- that don’t seem to change much despite hours on cardio equipment. Created in Germany, and offered locally at Body Chic (www.bodychic.net) in North Hills, Vacu Step looks like an enclosed elliptical trainer.  You step into a capsule and onto the elliptical steps, close the door, and attach a rubberized “skirt” similar to a kayaker’s spray skirt.  This seals you in.  You then set the vacuum and start walking slowly within a fat burning range.  The Vacu Step is designed to incorporate the necessary combination of muscle movement and gentle vacuum technology to help improve blood circulation in the stomach, legs, hips and buttocks.

Whatever exercise you choose, start thinking about it today.  Remember, September is just around the corner!